Monday, November 30, 2009

This is a collection of images featuring kitchens from the early '50s (1950-55). All this week I'll be sharing images of early interior design from 1950-1955 here so if you're interested in the early half of the '50s check back often!

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If you'd like to see more early '50s kitchens you'll find them in my Flickr Gallery.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Normally I post all my movie related chatter at my film blog Cinebeats but I recently came across this wonderful poster for the 2008 French film HOME at The Auteurs site and I just had to share it here.

HOME is a comedy/drama and it has just opened in limited release across the US so I don't know much about it yet, but I absolutely love the poster for it. It features the French actress Isabelle Huppert in a really cute vintage looking kitchen surrounded by what looks like mid-century modern furniture and bright cookware. It's incredibly eye-catching and I really like the fonts they used in the design. It would look great framed! Hopefully the movie is as good as the poster looks.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Thanksgiving is only a few days away so I thought I'd share these Pyrex holiday recipes from their 1955 ad campaign in Better Homes & Gardens. I often associate Pyrex with the holidays because I can distinctly remember my mother's kitchen being full of Pyrex bowls and cookware during Thanksgiving and throughout Christmas.The 1955 Pyrex Thanksgiving Menu:- Fresh Fruit Cup- Roast Turkey- Celery Stuffing- Baked Broccoli- Bacon & Sweet Potatoes- Pecan Pie- Cranberry Sauce- Coffee

Recipes, ideas and baking suggestions are all included in the Pyrex ad above. Just click on the image to see the full-size version.

Vintage Pyrex glassware is very popular and extremely collectible now due to it's longevity, smart design and bright colors. If you'd like to learn more about vintage Pyrex I highly recommend visiting the Pyrex Love site where you'll find helpful pattern references and an FAQ. Pyrex Love is also responsible for the wonderful Pyrex Love Flickr Group where Pyrex owners share pictures of their colorful Pyrex collections.

For more information about Pyrex visit the official Pyrex company website:- Pyrex Products

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The past 4 months have been exciting and frustrating. While looking for a home that fits our budget we've occasionally wasted time looking at houses that we knew we could never afford. But the current housing market is unpredictable and you never know what to expect. This weekend we got an unexpected surprise.

We've had our eye on this custom built 1955 atomic ranch house for months and it suddenly dropped 40k from it's asking price. We immediately decided to make an offer on it and much to our surprise, it was excepted!

The house is the second home of a woman that actually lives in the neighborhood but it's a "short sale" which means the offer also has to be approved by the bank. At the moment we're in the beginning stages of escrow but until we get bank approval and go through inspections I'm trying to remain calm, cool and collected without getting too attached to the house since the deal could still fall apart.

The place needs a LOT of work and it will undoubtedly take us a few years to get it into tip top shape but if we do get the house I'm looking forward to the challenge of restoring it.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

I love to bowl. Throughout the '90s my guy and I went bowling regularly. We tried to get friends to bowl with us and occasionally we'd convince them to come along, but for the most part we were a solo act. For one reason or another I haven't bowled much in the last 10 years but I really want to start doing it again for fun. Hopefully whatever town we end up moving to will have a working bowling ally so we can start playing again.

I'm mentioning all this because I recently came across an interesting article posted at Inhabitat that talked about a sustainable furniture designer by the name of William Stranger who makes furniture from the recycled wood of abandoned bowling alleys. I hate to see old bowling alleys torn down and vacant but I love the fact that someone is making good use of the remaining parts. The tables and wall art that William Stranger has created is really impressive and I'd happily have one of his pieces in my own home.

You can find more information about William Stranger and his sustainable furniture at his website: strangerfurniture.com

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Since my look at early mid-century design is coming to an end I thought I'd share a fun article that explores the future of home design.

Between 1941-1948 Walker Art Center in Minneapolis conceived and built two homes as part of their ambitious Idea House Project. These two split-level modern homes were designed by museum staff members William Friedman and Hilde Reiss in association with local architect Malcolm Lien and they were the first fully functional modern homes built by an American museum. These impressive houses were created during the US housing shortage after WW2 in an effort to educate the public about modern home design. The contemporary homes featured the latest technologies, new furniture concepts and open floor plans. They were presented to the general public as "Idea Houses" and visitors were encouraged to use them as inspiration for their own home building and design projects.

In 1948 Life Magazine asked an "average American family" to move into one of the Idea Houses for a week so they could document the family's experience. The magazine asked the family "How Livable Is A Modern House?" and the results are fascinating to read. The family is obviously a little confused and intimidated by some of the home's contemporary design elements, but overall they seemed to enjoy the homes modern conveniences and open layout.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

To round out the week that I've devoted to early mid-century design, I thought I'd share this great piece from a 1946 issue of Better Homes & Gardens about the use of colors and patterns. It's really helpful if you happen to own a late '40s home and it could be inspiring for anyone looking for ideas on how to give their home an early mid-century look. Click on the images to see them full size.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Living Rooms are my favorite room of the house (followed by kitchens) probably because they're where you usually relax and entertain guests. In mid-century homes it's also common to have a dinning room that's part of the living area and you can see one example of that below. Open floorplans became much more common in the '50s.

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If you'd like to see more '40s living rooms you'll find them in my Flickr Gallery.

Over the weekend I'm going to continue celebrating the '40s and share some really nice articles I've found on modern homes and the use of color so if you enjoy early mid-century design keep an eye out for them!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Early mid-century bedrooms seemed to take a little longer to modernize than any other room in the American home. Bedrooms remained rather traditional looking until the late '40s but you can still come across some nice design elements or color combinations. Here are some of the more interesting examples I've come across.

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If you'd like to see more '40s bedrooms you'll find them in my Flickr Gallery.

Monday, November 2, 2009

This is a collection of images featuring kitchens from the '40s that I've recently scanned from old magazines. All this week I'll be featuring late '40s interior design here so if you're interested in the early half of the mid-century (roughly 1945-49) check back often!

Some of these kitchen designs are really neat and I love the occasional bold use of color (they sure loved green, blue and yellow!).'40s kitchens often seem to have a very cozy feel to them that I can appreciate.

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1946

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1949

If you'd like to see more '40s kitchens you'll find them in my Flickr Gallery.

About Mid-Century Living

Welcome to Mid-Century Living! My name is Kimberly and I'm a longtime admirer of mid-century design. My husband and I recently bought our first home and it's a beautiful old custom built 1954 atomic ranch house in Napa, CA. I plan to share my adventures in home restoration and remodeling as well as various decorating tips, gardening and landscaping ideas, recipes and anything else that falls under the banner of "Mid-Century" or "Living." I'll also be writing about local issues and various things that interest me as a new home owner. I hope you'll enjoy your stop here!